The Great Famine or the Great Hunger?
The catastrophe of the 1840s
Between 1845 and 1852, Ireland experienced one of the most devastating crises in its history. A failure of the potato crop, caused by blight, struck repeatedly over several years. Because the potato formed the staple food for a large proportion of the population, the consequences were catastrophic.
It is estimated that around one million people died from starvation and disease, while a further one million emigrated, permanently altering the country’s population and social structure. Entire communities were weakened or destroyed, and the effects of those years were felt long after the immediate crisis had passed.
The impact was not evenly spread. Rural areas, particularly in the west and south, were hardest hit, but hunger, eviction, and disease affected every part of the country. Overcrowded workhouses, outbreaks of typhus and cholera, and mass displacement became defining features of the period.
Ireland was not isolated from the wider world during these years. Food continued to be produced, markets continued to function, and ships continued to leave Irish ports carrying agricultural produce. At the same time, millions of people lacked the means to feed themselves.
It is against this background that the language used to describe the event matters.
Why “Great Hunger” rather than “Great Famine”?
The event is commonly referred to as the Great Famine, but many historians prefer the term Great Hunger. In fact, in Irish, the event is known as An Gorta Mór, literally “The Great Hunger”.
Here are the reasons why using the correct term is important:
1. Food continued to be produced and exported
A famine usually implies a general collapse in food supply. In Ireland, that was only partly true. The potato crop failed repeatedly due to blight, and this was catastrophic because millions depended on it. However, Ireland continued to produce large quantities of food throughout the period, including grain, cattle, butter, eggs, and fish.
Much of this food was exported, mainly to Britain, under existing commercial and legal arrangements. Contemporary shipping records show food leaving Irish ports even at the height of starvation.
So the problem was not the absolute absence of food, but who controlled it and who could afford it.
Sources: Ireland's Great Hunger Museum | History Ireland
2. Hunger was shaped by land ownership and poverty
Most rural Irish people did not own the land they worked. They were tenants, often on very small plots, and paid rent in cash or produce. Potatoes were the one crop they could reliably keep for themselves.
When the potato failed:
- tenants still owed rent
- landlords still expected payment
- other food was priced beyond their reach
- eviction followed quickly if rent went unpaid
This meant that starvation occurred alongside full storehouses and active markets.
Calling it the Great Hunger highlights that economic structures and inequality, not just crop failure, determined who lived and who died.
Sources: Ireland's Great Hunger Museum
3. Government policy made hunger worse
The British government did intervene, but in limited and often short-lived ways. Relief policies were shaped by:
- belief in free markets
- fear of creating dependency
- hostility to large-scale state aid
By 1847, much emergency support had been withdrawn, even though hunger and disease were at their worst. Relief was increasingly tied to workhouses, which many feared or avoided.
The term Great Hunger draws attention to the fact that policy decisions intensified suffering, rather than treating the disaster as a purely natural event.
Sources: Ireland's Great Hunger Museum | The National Archives (UK)
4. Many people did try to help
It is also important to say that the suffering in Ireland did not go unnoticed. While British government policy often limited what was done, many individuals, charities, and communities responded with real urgency and compassion.
Relief came in many forms. The Society of Friends (Quakers) organised food, clothing, and soup kitchens, and raised substantial funds for direct aid. Private initiatives such as the British Relief Association coordinated donations and practical support, including food shipments and help for children. Even Queen Victoria contributed personally to relief funds.
Some of the most striking help came from far beyond Britain and Ireland. In 1847 the Choctaw Nation, themselves still living with the trauma of forced removal in the United States, collected a donation for Irish famine victims. It was not a large sum, but it has endured as a powerful symbol of solidarity from one hard-pressed people to another.
Sources: Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum | The Irish Times (Choctaw donation) | Quakers in the World | Encyclopaedia Britannica
5. Language matters
Calling it a famine can suggest inevitability, as if nothing could have been done. Calling it the Great Hunger:
- emphasises human responsibility
- recognises political and economic choices
- centres lived experience rather than agricultural failure
That is why many Irish historians, writers, and memorials now use An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger) rather than “famine”.
Sources: Ireland's Great Hunger Museum | The National Archives (UK)
Page last updated: 18 Jul 2026